By Tony Parra Edward Chavez, a member of the New Mexico supreme court, visited Portales on Friday, a place he once called home. Chavez was touring the eastern part of New Mexico and visited with other people from the community at the Stephen Doerr/Randy Knudson law firm, midday Friday. Chavez was born in Santa Fe, […]

Pedro Villanueva, 48 Mr. Pedro Olando (Pete) Villanueva, 48, of Portales, died Thursday evening, June 10, 2004, at Laurel Plains Healthcare Center in Clovis. He was born on Nov. 22, 1955, in Villanueva to Mella and Alfonso Villanueva. The Villanueva family moved to Portales in 1959. Pete attended the Portales schools and graduated from Portales […]

Mary “Sandy” Mecham, 84 Mrs. Mary “Sandy” Mecham, 84, of Tucumcari, a homemaker, died Monday, May 3, 2004, at Plains Regional Medical Center in Clovis. She was born on Feb. 9, 1920, in Murphysboro, Ill., to Oscar and Mary Watt Lutz. Family members said she will be remembered as an active sportswoman who always lived […]

By Michelle Seeber New Mexico is ready for step two in its effort to increase the number of insured vehicles on its roads — suspending the registration of nearly 300,000 uninsured vehicles. The suspensions, which will begin next week, are part of a continuing campaign to cut the state’s traditionally high rate of uninsured vehicles. […]

F.C. Villanueva Services: 11 a.m. Thursday at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church in Villanueva. Florian C. Villanueva, 83, of Villanueva died Sunday, March 7, 2004. He was born on April 29, 1920, in Villanueva to Manuel and Rebecca Chavez Villanueva. He married Maria Petrita Sena on Aug. 16, 1942, in Villanueva. He was a World […]

By David Arkin A bill signed by the governor that will allow electric cars to be driven on city streets and highways is receiving mixed reviews. The bill, which was crafted by Sen. Stuart Ingle, R-Portales, and signed into law by Gov. Bill Richardson last week, would allow “neighborhood electric cars,” which are four-wheeled electric […]

Michelle Seeber Former Assistant District Attorney Matthew Chandler of Clovis announced his candidacy for District Attorney of Curry and Roosevelt counties Saturday at Eastern New Mexico University, one day after he was fired by District Attorney Brett Carter. “I advised Carter on Jan. 27 of my intentions to run for (District Attorney),” Chandler said before […]

Jack King Area used-car dealers had varying reactions to the state’s new lemon law, which went into effect on Jan. 1. “We’re going to have to be very careful about disclosures, telling where (the vehicle) came from and what we did to it. We’re also going to have to be careful about trade-in’s, because if […]

Jack King By Jack King Freedom Newspapers Jack_King@link.freedom.com Clovis used-car dealer Benny Pacheco said there used to be a saying among some used-car dealers: “If a customer buys a car and it breaks in half, the customer owns both halves.” A lemon law, passed by the New Mexico Legislature in 2003 nullifies that piece of […]

Mike Linn A family residing about five miles east of Portales has been hosting horse races twice a month, contending it wants to keep Mexican tradition alive and boredom at bay. But local law enforcement officials say tradition can only go as far as American law permits — and to that end Roosevelt County Sheriff […]

Monica Casias, 26, was recently hired as an assistant public defender with the 9th Judicial District public defender’s office. Question: When were you officially hired as an attorney with the public defender’s office, and when did you start work here? Answer: I began working in this office on Sept. 17 as a law clerk for […]

Tony Parra The 9th Judicial District Court is now complete after Joe Parker was sworn in by district judge Stephen Quinn on Tuesday in the courtroom of the Roosevelt County Courthouse. “He’s going to hit the ground running,” Quinn said about Parker’s new position. “He’s going to start (this) morning. We’ve been extremely busy (with […]

Mike Linn City and county law enforcement officials say they are neutralizing criminal activity and the area drug trade by aggressively sharing information, a trend that expedites investigations on suspected criminals. While the Roosevelt County Sheriff’s Department and the Portales Police Department are separate entities, it’s important the two departments work together to fight crime, […]

Darrell Todd Maurina Two onlookers chased down and captured a woman from Missouri who stabbed her daughter-in-law about 11 a.m. Thursday morning, according to Clovis police reports. Clovis Police Capt. Dan Blair said the daughter-in-law, Dawn Southern, 28, of Clovis, was treated and released at Plains Regional Medical Center following the incident outside an eatery […]

By Helena Rodriguez I promised last month to tell the story of how bluebonnets almost got me in trouble with the Texas law. You’ve heard the saying, “Don’t Mess With Texas!” Well, them Texans don’t like you messin’ with their state flower either, even if you’re a Nuevo Mejicano only visiting the state for 2 […]

By Gary Mitchell Nearly a year after U.S. Catholic bishops adopted a “zero tolerance” policy against priests who sexually abuse children, the aftermath of those scandals still have impact within and outside the church, officials say. That impact goes beyond the civil and criminal cases against the Roman Catholic Church or its priests. Experts say […]

PNT Staff Editor’s note: The crime report is compiled from incident reports filed by area law-enforcement officers. Following a gas theft, an 18-year-old Portales man in a maroon Monte Carlo led police officers on a speedy chase on city, county and state roads early Sunday morning. The officer, who had dealt with the man prior, […]